Akiko Ebi

Born in Osaka, Japan, Akiko Ebi commenced her piano studies at the age of 3 and a half. Her exceptional talent was evident early on when she secured the first prize at the National Piano Competition in Japan. This success marked the beginning of her international journey, culminating in her winning the 2nd Grand Prix at the Long/Thibaud Competition in Paris. Notably, she received four special prizes bestowed by Arthur Rubinstein, Emile Sauer, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. 

Akiko Ebi further distinguished herself as a laureate at the Fryderyk Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. She pursued her musical education with esteemed mentors such as Aldo Ciccolini at the Paris National Conservatoire, Vlado Perlemuter, Conrad Hansen, Luis Kentner, Colette Zerah, Susumu Nagai, and Toyoaki Matsuura. 

Her illustrious career spans performances in 38 countries, gracing renowned venues like the Berlin Philharmony Hall, Gewandhaus Concert Hall, Suntory Hall, Teatro Colón, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau, Wigmore Hall, and many others. Akiko Ebi has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Stanislaw Skrowazcewski, Frans Bruggen, Marek Janowsky, Vassily Sinaisky, Lawrence Foster, Yutaka Sado, Michiyoshi Inoué, Kenichirô Kobayashi, Ryusuke Numajiri, Hideaki Mutô, Theodor Gushulbauer, Pedro Ignacio Calderón, Rossen Milanov, Erich Bergel, Bernhard Klee, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Monika Wolinska, Stanislaw Strugala, Jean Fournet, and numerous Japanese conductors.

Akiko Ebi's notable collaborations include duo concerts with Martha Argerich, widely broadcasted worldwide. She has performed with esteemed musical partners such as Ivry Gitlis, Augustin Dumay, Régis Pasquier, Yumino Toyoda, Alto Noras, Angela Hewitt, as well as quintets with Moragues, Parisii Quartet, Via Nova Quartet, and others. Regularly featured at renowned festivals globally, including La Roque d’Anthéron, Menton, Echternach, Verbier, Folle journée (Nantes, Lisbon, Tokyo), Nice, Warsaw, Lugano, Toledo, New York, Tokyo, Salt Lake City, Buenos Aires, Santiago in Chile, among others. 

Her extensive discography includes works by Chopin, Ravel, and the world's first recording of Dynam-Victor Fumet. Additionally, she has recorded chamber music by Fauré, Franck, Grieg, Lekeu, Pierné, and Webern. Akiko Ebi's recordings of Hikari Ōe earned her the Grand Prix d’Or in Japan twice. Recognizing her contributions to French music, she was honored as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1993 and received Japan’s prestigious ExxonMobile Music Prize in 2002. In 2023, she was awarded the Gloria Artis medal by the Polish government. Akiko Ebi is frequently invited to conduct master classes in various countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Finland, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Chile, and Japan. 

She serves as a jury member at international competitions such as Chopin in Warsaw, Long-Thibaud, Clara Haskil, Gina Bachauer, Santander, Maria Canals, e-competition, and was the president of the jury at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2012 and 2015. Currently, she holds the position of President of the Japan Chopin Society for the past 13 years. Additionally, she serves as the Planning Committee Chair at the Yokohama City International Piano Festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022 with a performance alongside Martha Argerich.